Travel Rewards Credit Cards
by DR
A travel reward credit card can literally pay for or greatly reduce the cost of your next vacation. Travel rewards last year allowed my family to fly to Guatemala on points earned on our American Express card. This summer, my wife is taking a trip to meet friends from college, and the airline ticket was paid for with an airline reward credit card. In 2005 we paid for tickets to London with a travel rewards credit card. We've literally saved thousands of dollars on vacations from reward programs, so I thought I'd share with you some of the best travel reward credit cards available.
| Starwood Preferred Guest(R) Credit Card from American Express |
|---|
 | - Earn up to 25,000 Starpoints (R) - enough for up to 6 free nights at a category 1 or 2 hotel.
- Use Starpoints(R) for free nights and upgrades at participating Starwood hotels and resorts in 95 countries including Sheraton, W Hotels, Westin and more with no blackout dates
- No annual fee for the first year and $45 thereafter
- Transfer Starpoints(R) - almost always on a 1:1 basis - to the frequent flyer programs of over 30 major airlines
- Earn one Starpoint(R) for every dollar you spend and double Starpoints(R) at participating Starwood properties and retail partners
- Express Approval. Get a decision in less than 60 seconds.
|
| Intro APR | Intro APR
Period | Regular
APR | Annual
Fee | Balance
Transfer | Credit
Needed | | See Terms* | See Terms* | 15.24% | See Terms* | Yes | Excellent |
|
| Miles by Discover® Card |
|---|
| - 12,000 Bonus Miles – 1,000 Miles each month you make a purchase for the first 12 months
- Double Miles on up to $3,000 in travel and restaurant purchases each year
- Book any travel, anytime with no blackout dates or restrictions
- 1 Mile for every $1 on all your other purchases
- Unlimited Miles that never expire
- No Annual Fee
- Redeem for travel credits to your account, gift cards from any of our 90 brand-name Partners or cash starting at just 1,000 Miles
|
| Intro APR | Intro APR
Period | Regular
APR | Annual
Fee | Balance
Transfer | Credit
Needed | | 0%* | 6 Months* | 11.99% - 19.99%* | None | Yes | Good |
|
| Chase Sapphire(SM) |
|---|
| - 10,000 Bonus Points after first purchase
- 2X on all airfare booked through Ultimate Rewards
- No earning caps, point expiration, or blackout dates
- Earn up to 10x for every dollar when shopping at select merchants through Ultimate Rewards Mall
- 1 point for every dollar on all other purchases
- 24/7 Dedicated service advisor (No voice recording)
- Premier travel protection benefits
- No Annual Fee
|
| Intro APR | Intro APR
Period | Regular
APR | Annual
Fee | Balance
Transfer | Credit
Needed | | N/A | N/A | As low as 12.24% Variable | None | No | Excellent |
|
| American Express (R) Preferred Rewards Gold Card |
|---|
| - Earn 10,000 Membership Rewards(R) bonus points when you spend $500 in 3 months - redeemable for a $100 gift card!
- The Membership Rewards(R) program - Earn 1 Membership Rewards(R) point for virtually every dollar you spend and redeem for your choice of travel, shopping, and entertainment rewards.
- Gold Card Events - exclusive access to tickets for select concerts, shows, major sporting events, and more in cities nationwide.
- Express Approval. Get a decision in less than 60 seconds.
|
| Intro APR | Intro APR
Period | Regular
APR | Annual
Fee | Balance
Transfer | Credit
Needed | | N/A | N/A | N/A | $125 annual fee | No | Excellent |
|
| Platinum Delta SkyMiles(R) Credit Card from American Express |
|---|
| - Earn 20,000 bonus SkyMiles(R) (including 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles) after first purchase and another 2,500 for adding an Additional Cardmember
- Earn one companion Coach Class ticket each year upon renewal
- Earn at least 1 mile for every eligible dollar spent
- Miles never expire and there is no cap on the miles you can earn
- Pay with Miles: Pay for all or part of your flight with miles - and put the rest on your Card
- Express Approval. Get a decision in less than 60 seconds.
|
| Intro APR | Intro APR
Period | Regular
APR | Annual
Fee | Balance
Transfer | Credit
Needed | | See Terms* | See Terms* | 14.50% | $150 per year | Yes | Excellent |
|
*We do our best to accurately reflect the terms and conditions of credit card offers on this site. But please recognize that these terms and conditions can and do change from time to time. When you are evaluating credit card offers, please make sure to read the terms and conditions on the credit card issuer's website, as they may have changed since the information was last updated on this site.
Tagged as: airline miles cards, Credit Cards, hotel rewards cards, travel rewards cards
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
This just shows that if you’re intentional with your finances you can make the most of what you get for free. I love Guatemala. I was there last summer as well. Great people….
At this point, we probably would take years to get enough points to redeem. But depending on how we manage our finances in the future, I’ve thought about it. We’ll see.
Interesting post! I wrote recently how badly I managed my United miles credit card. Perhaps in the future, once I’m permanently out of debt, I’ll think about taking advantage of these types of offers.
Prime Time Money hosted the 156th Carnival of Personal Finance, and included this post. You can read all of the great articles included in the carnival at http://ptmoney.com/2008/06/09/the-156th-carnival-of-personal-finance-songs-of-summer/
Post is definitely interesting enough to make others give a thought about Travel Rewards Points. If you plan well in advance to make the most out of these Reward Points, then you are in. Thanks for sharing the valuable info..DR.
Stephen
Been thinking on getting another credit card on Skymiles. I don’t know when but all I know is that, I’ll be taking advantage of these offers if I am debt free.